


Ray-Bans from Hell

by orphan_account



Series: Gabriel's Costume Store Plays Matchmaker [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Costume Shop, Annoying Gabriel, Big Brother Gabriel, Costume shop AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-03 23:52:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1074528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Gabriel returns home early from his vacation, Dean gets the big brother talk, and Cas just wants outta there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ray-Bans from Hell

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, the next installment in this 'verse. And yes, I left some intentional gaps because I intend to write more. Probably including more Sam, Charlie and Gabe, so stay tuned (as always). Hope this is as good as the last one.

Cas isn't invited to Dean and Charlie's LARPing game, for which he is immensely grateful. Not that he's against it, but the idea of so many people he doesn't know in one place, and his irrefutable tendency to trip over every object under the sun, makes him sure that if he did attend, it would be one of the more humiliating days of his life. He's content to wait out the afternoon in the comfort of _Angel's Attire_ , trying (and failing) to put the store in some semblance of order for when Dean comes around this evening. Not that he's trying to impress him, or anything. Not at all.

The bell over the door trills whilst Cas is in the middle of stacking a collection of cowboy hats. He checks his watch – it's ten to five, so Dean must be a little early, as it can't be a customer since he closed up shop at four – and turns around, a smile forming on his face because even the sight of Dean is enough to fill him with a warm, cosy feeling inside –

Except it isn't Dean.

It isn't even Charlie.

Home three days early, sporting a healthy tan and Ray-Bans, is Gabriel.

Shit.

"Baby bro!" Gabe crows cross the empty store. He whips off his sunglasses and grins widely. "Surprise!"

"Gabriel," Cas says with as much enthusiasm as he can muster. This shouldn't be happening – Gabriel can't be here, _now_ , not with Dean arriving in less than ten minutes to pick Cas up for their first official date. His reluctance to see his brother must shine through, because Gabe's smile disappears as quickly as it had come.

"Since you're clearly not pleased to see me, I assume that's a gun in your pocket," he says coolly, advancing towards Cas around a slightly neatened clothes rack of corsets. He brings a hand up to his heart and sighs dramatically. "I'm wounded."

"What are you doing here?" Cas winces; he didn't mean for the question to come out so harshly. He checks his watch; seven minutes.

Gabriel shrugs, looking around the store. "Thought I'd pop back early to make sure you hadn't burned down the place. Looks good, Cas."

"Thank you," Cas answers stiffly, keeping one eye on his brother and one on the street outside, both hoping for and dreading the appearance of a '67 black Chevy rounding the corner. "How was California?"

"How _wasn't_ California, baby bro?" Gabe grins, animosity forgotten. Cas is relatively sure his brother's words don't make sense, but he lets the incorrect grammar slide. Six minutes.

"I take it you visited Kali there?"

"Not only visited," comes the reply, accompanied by a waggle of eyebrows. "We had a lot of catching up to do."

"I'm sure." Cas swallows. Gabriel can't be here – not now, not for this, not to meet Cas' first ever date and make absolutely sure it would be his last. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" he asks innocently, looking down at his watch again. Five to five.

Gabe narrows his eyes. "No," he says, shortly, the syllable rising up at the end with a curious tone. "Do _you_?"

"No," Cas answers automatically. Gabriel gives him a look. "Yes."

His brother laughs and walks closer, swinging an arm around Cas' shoulders and sighing in amusement. "Hot date?" he says mockingly, but when Cas blushes unwillingly, his jaw drops. "No way." He pushes back from Cas and steps in front of him, getting right up in his face. "No freaking way, Castiel. A _date_? With _who_?"

"I see no reason why I should share my private life with you –"

"Oh, come _on_ , Castiel. I tell you everything about Kali –"

"Which I didn't ask for, thanks very much –"

"– just a name? When did you meet? What does he –?"

With the worst timing in the history of the world – no, the universe – Cas hears the roar of the Impala's engine, and closes his eyes in defeat as it comes into view and pulls up right outside the store. Cas watches through the crack in his eyelids as Gabriel turns, as he takes in Dean's baby in all her pride and glory, as he watches the way the car door opens and Dean himself steps out in a leather jacket and boots –

"Dean Winchester?" Gabriel's tone of voice makes Cas' eyes snap open wide. His brother is staring at him. "You're dating _Dean Winchester_? LARPing addict, tattooed, plaid-wearing, Metallica-loving _Dean Winchester_?"

Cas tries to process this. He vaguely remembers Charlie mentioning how they knew Gabe yesterday, but he'd been too caught up in the feel of Dean's lips on his to put much stock in her words. He'd thought she just meant as acquaintances, anyway, but Gabe talks as if he legitimately _knows_ Dean.

So confused is his mind at the moment, all he really latches onto in Gabriel's tirade is one thing: "Dean's tattooed?"

Gabriel lets out an incredulous laugh. "He's Dean fucking Winchester, of course he's tattooed, on his –"

At that moment, the bell over the door trills again, and the Novak brothers turn as one to see Dean hovering awkwardly in the doorway, his oceanic eyes flicking from Cas to Gabe and back.

"Um," he begins, visibly steeling himself as he realises who Gabriel is. The latter interrupts him.

"Dean-o! Long time, no see?" Gabe slides his Ray-Bans back on and Cas fights the urge to kick him. He doesn't know what to do; he has no idea what the dynamic between the other two is and he doesn't know how to stop whatever it is that's happening.

"Hi, Gabriel," Dean says with a grimace that he obviously means as a smile. "Thought you were on vacation." An _and I thought you wouldn't be here so fuck off_ is implied. Gabriel's grin only widens.

"I was. But now I'm not. Cas here was just telling me about your little date tonight, isn't that right, Cas?"

"I wasn't –"

"So," Gabriel continues, completely overriding Cas' complaints. "When did you two lovebirds meet?"

Dean looks at Cas: _help me_ his eyes say. "Yesterday, actually," he answers aloud. "Charlie and I were getting costumes, and Cas was here instead of you, so."

Gabe folds his arms. Cas tries to sidestep around him but can't get past without having to dive over the fairy wands and wings that are on sale. He looks back at Dean helplessly: _I'm so sorry_.

"Never would've pegged you for my brother's type," Gabriel is saying, a whole head shorter than Dean but somehow still managing to be intimidating.

"Well, you didn't peg me as gay in the first place, did you?" Dean answers warily, and again, Cas wishes he knew the history of these two. Gabriel had certainly never mentioned Dean Winchester before this, and Charlie had explicitly said that she was the only one who was _sort-of friends_ with Gabe.

"Well, I've learned from that," Gabe responds easily. "Books and covers and all that. How's that brother of yours going?"

Immediately, Dean stiffens. "Sam's fine," he hedges, shooting Cas another look: _get me outta here, ASAP_. "Going to Stanford next year, actually. Pre-law." Even under these circumstances, Cas can hear the unbidden note of pride in Dean's voice as he speaks of his presumably younger brother.

"How wonderful. Tell him I said hi, won't you?" Cas knows Gabe is probably batting his eyelashes behind his sunglasses. He clears his throat, desperate to diffuse the weird tension between his brother and his date, desperate just to get out of the stifling interior of the store.

"We have a reservation," Cas lies as Dean and Gabriel both look over at him. "And we really shouldn't be late, Gabriel. So –"

"I know, I know," Gabe sighs melodramatically. "We'll continue this scintillating conversation another time, yes?" He steps aside to let Cas walk past. "Don't stay out past curfew," he calls as the two of them move towards the door. "Au revoir, Castiel. Ciao, Dean."

The bell rings like a godsend as first Dean leaves, then Cas. The door shuts behind them, and as Cas can't see Gabriel through the window from where he is standing, they're pretty much alone. He looks up at Dean nervously.

"I'm so sorry about that, I swear, Gabe's just –"

Dean doesn't seem to hear him, just pulls Cas forward by the lapels of his trenchcoat and brushes their lips together. Cas sighs into the kiss, grateful Dean still wants him. "I know Gabe," Dean murmurs into Cas' ear. "And he doesn't bother me, I swear." He pulls away, smiling down at Cas.

"How do you know him?"

Dean sighs as they make their way towards the Impala. He holds open Cas' door and waits for him to climb in before shutting it and going around to the driver's side. Once he's behind the wheel, all the tension seems to drain from his muscles. Instinctively, Cas relaxes along with him.

"I'll tell you some other time, Cas, promise," Dean says finally, giving Cas a small smile that says _it's okay, no worries_. "Tonight, I just want to get to know _you_."

Cas grins at that, which becomes even wider as the engine roars to life beneath him and they pull away from the kerb. "Thank you," he tells Dean, because honestly, anyone who can put up with Gabriel must be an angel in disguise. Dean doesn't answer; just nods, turns on the radio to _Stairway to Heaven_ , and reaches over with his right hand to squeeze Cas' fingers tight. For now, that's enough, and Cas settles back into the leather, because maybe, maybe, tonight won't turn out to be so bad after all.


End file.
